U.S. patent number 7,533,058 [Application Number 10/721,329] was granted by the patent office on 2009-05-12 for method of accounting and effecting electronic transactions.
This patent grant is currently assigned to mPay International Sp. z o.o.. Invention is credited to Henryk Kulakowski.
United States Patent |
7,533,058 |
Kulakowski |
May 12, 2009 |
Method of accounting and effecting electronic transactions
Abstract
A method of accounting electronic transactions is disclosed. The
transaction may be initiated by the payer (1) from an electronic
terminal or telephone, to cause the following to be delivered to
the accounting system (3): the transaction code (A), the amount
(B), payer's ID (D), and the payee's ID (C). The accounting system
(3) verifies whether the payer (1) is an authorized user, whether a
beneficiary with the given payee's ID (C) exists and what types of
transactions are handled by this beneficiary, as well as whether
the specified amount (B) is available on the payer's (1) payment
account (4). The accounting system (3) sends cumulative information
on the transaction (E) to the payer (1). The payer (1) is requested
to accept the transaction, or to correct or complete data. The
accounting system (3) effects accounting of the transaction (G) on
the payment account (4) and sends acknowledgment of the payment (H)
to the payee (2).
Inventors: |
Kulakowski; Henryk (Stalowa
Wola, PL) |
Assignee: |
mPay International Sp. z o.o.
(Warszawa, PL)
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Family
ID: |
32397779 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/721,329 |
Filed: |
November 26, 2003 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20040143545 A1 |
Jul 22, 2004 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Nov 27, 2002 [PL] |
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357402 |
Nov 27, 2002 [PL] |
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357403 |
Nov 6, 2003 [PL] |
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363338 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/40;
902/8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
30/06 (20130101); G06Q 20/02 (20130101); G06Q
20/10 (20130101); G06Q 20/102 (20130101); G06Q
20/12 (20130101); G06Q 20/32 (20130101); G06Q
20/305 (20130101); G06Q 20/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06Q
40/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;705/35,38-44
;902/8-24,30-35,37-41 ;725/1-6 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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19903363 |
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Aug 2000 |
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DE |
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10028028 |
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Dec 2001 |
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DE |
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1136961 |
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Sep 2001 |
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EP |
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2820232 |
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Aug 2002 |
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FR |
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WO 98/30985 |
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Jul 1998 |
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WO |
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WO 01/09851 |
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Feb 2001 |
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WO |
|
Other References
Humphrey, "The Economics of Electronic Benefit Transfer Payments",
Spring, 1996, Economic Quarterly, v82, n2, p. 77 (18). cited by
examiner .
Demme, et al., "Zahlungsweisen im Internet," Jan. 17, 1999, pp.
1-11. cited by other .
International Search Report mailed Jun. 14, 2004 in International
Application No. PCT/PL03/00129. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Cheung; Mary
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hunton & Williams LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of accounting an electronic transaction, wherein the
transaction is initiated by a payer from an electronic terminal,
the method comprising: delivering to an accounting system: a
transaction code describing a type of transaction, an amount
describing a value of the transaction, a payer's ID assigned to a
payer, and a payee's ID assigned to a payee, wherein the
transaction code, the amount, the payer's ID, and the payee's ID
are delivered to between the electronic terminal and the accounting
system; verifying, via the accounting system, whether the payer is
an authorized user, whether a beneficiary with the payee's ID
exists and what types of transactions are handled by the
beneficiary, and whether the amount is available in a payment
account of the payer; sending from the accounting system cumulative
information regarding the transaction to the payer, wherein the
cumulative information preferably contains extended information on
the transaction; requesting the payer to accept the transaction, by
sending an acceptance for the transaction; effecting accounting of
the transaction on the payment account via the accounting system;
sending acknowledgment of payment to the payee, including
additional information on the payer, which is not directly related
to transaction accounting; and sending well as acknowledgment of
the transaction to the payer, including additional information
delivered to the accounting system by the payee.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a number of different
payment sub-accounts are assigned to the payment account wherein
each of the payment sub-accounts are connected directly to
institutions managing funds of the payer, wherin a single
transaction of which, initiated by the payer, is accounted jointly
from several of the payment sub-accounts, wherein the payer, when
initiating a transaction, effects a pre-selection of a single
sub-account or of a defined group of payment sub-accounts, from
which the transaction is to be accounted, by choosing the
corresponding transaction code or the payee's ID, assigned to the
transaction, and the same payment sub-account is preferably used by
a number of different payers within their payment sub-accounts for
accounting of transactions initiated by them.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the payee's ID is
a static ID, a temporary ID or a local ID, whereas the static ID is
permanently assigned to the payee within the accounting system, the
temporary ID is given on a temporary basis upon request of the
payee, for a specified time period or for the needs of a single
transaction, and the local ID is provided to a payee by the payer
in order to account transactions for the payee who is not defined
in the accounting system and the payee cannot be accessed by other
payers.
4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the payee's ID is
assigned to a specific transaction or to a specific offer of the
payee, through which the offer is explicitly identified.
5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transaction
lasts for the given period of time, and the amount is calculated by
the accounting system during the transaction initiated by the
payer, the method further comprising: automatically, for every
accounting unit, delivered or defined by the payee, and upon
initiation of the transaction by the payer calculating a beginning
of unit-charges, which constitute components of the amount, whereas
conclusion and complete accounting of the transaction is effected
upon a request from the accounting system, the payee or the payer,
and upon conclusion of the transaction acknowledgment of the
payment is sent again to the payee, and the payer receives
acknowledgment of the transaction, which include cumulative
information concerning the whole transaction and its conclusion,
while unit-charges are accounted by the accounting system on-line
or off-line.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the amount is delivered
to the accounting system in the beginning of a periodic
transaction, while such a transaction is calculated up to the value
of the amount, after which it is terminated by the accounting
system.
7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a transaction
amount is received from the payee upon a request from the
accounting system, which makes it possible to verify whether the
amount is correct on the basis of the transaction amount, or to
exclude the necessity to quote the amount when initiating a
transaction by the payer, whereas concurrently with the transaction
amount, the payee sends additional information on the transaction
to the accounting system.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to the following Polish
applications: Application No. P-357402, filed Nov. 27, 2002,
Application No. P-357403, filed Nov. 27, 2002 and Application No.
P-363338, filed Nov. 6, 2003, which are all hereby incorporated by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention applies to a method of effecting and accounting
electronic transactions and means of payment, and in particular,
effecting and accounting electronic-transactions through the use of
phones.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the state of the art technology, a number of solutions for
effecting electronic transactions are known. However, in most cases
the way of accounting transactions depends on the chosen method or
kind of transaction (e.g. payment card transactions, parking
payment from a pre-paid account, etc.).
The most commonly applied solution is a payment card (magnetic or
microprocessor). The most popular payment card systems are: Visa,
MasterCard or American Express. A payment card is assigned to one
specific payment account, thus the funds available on the card can
derive only from one place. Owning a larger number of accounts at
financial institutions compels a necessity to use other cards as
well, which often is both uncomfortable for the user and not safe.
The presented solution assumes a possibility to use a number of
different payment accounts, identified through one identifier
within a single payment system. This way, funds can be accessed
from more than one payment account at the same time.
From the application WO0109851, methods of effecting payments with
payment cards are known, where a mobile phone is used as a card
authorization terminal, or the transaction is effected on the basis
of information on the credit card provided by the user
(DE10028028). From the description U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,522, the
commonly applied solutions for payments with payment card via
Internet are known. The methods used make it possible to only send
information on the payment card to the respective authorization
center, where the transaction accounting proceeds always in the
same way and depends on the payment card's technology.
The prior art includes also electronic payment solutions with the
use of pre-paid accounts or directly with bank accounts. The
micropayment systems known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,919 can serve
here as an example. However, their functionality and application
areas are often limited, e.g. only to payments via Internet, or--as
in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,075--to payments for
telecommunication services, and transaction accounting as such is
determined by the technology used.
From EP1136961, solutions are known which use phone for effecting
electronic payments--especially wireless phone in a mobile
telecommunication network. However, the solutions available do not
provide a uniform method of effecting various types of payments and
in most cases are complicated and not especially user-friendly. As
in the case of FR2820232, these are often not very universal
methods, allowing only for effecting a payment in a limited
application area alone.
The aim of this invention is to create a universal and uniform
system for accounting electronic transactions, which would possibly
handle all kinds of transactions and various types of payment
accounts, and which in particular would be adapted to the
requirements and needs of today's market. Moreover, the invention
aims to provide its user with full control of transactions effected
as well as with comfortable and simple method of using, especially
when effecting payments via phone.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A characteristic feature of the method of accounting electronic
transactions, according to the invention, is the fact that
transactions are initiated by the payer from an electronic
terminal, the operation causing the following to be delivered to
the accounting system: the transaction code, describing the kind of
transaction selected, the amount describing the transaction value,
payer's ID, which is explicitly assigned to the specific payer, and
the payee's ID, which is assigned to the beneficiary of the
payment; next, the accounting system verifies whether the payer is
an authorized user, whether a beneficiary with the given payee's ID
exists and what kind of transactions are handled by this
beneficiary, as well as whether the given amount is available on
the payer's account, after which the accounting system sends
cumulative information on the transaction to the payer, which
preferably contains also extended information on the transaction,
while the payer is requested to accept the transaction, to correct
or complete data, and upon having received acceptance for the
transaction, the accounting system effects accounting of the
transaction on the payment account, and sends acknowledgment of the
transaction to the payee as well as acknowledgment of the payment
to the payer, which contain preferably additional information
delivered to the accounting system by the payee.
Preferably, a number of different payment sub-accounts are assigned
to one payment account within its limits; those sub-accounts are
connected directly to institutions managing funds of the respective
payer, a single transaction of which, initiated by the payer, is
preferably accounted jointly from several payment sub-accounts,
while the payer, when initiating a transaction, preferably effects
a pre-selection of a single sub-account or of a defined group of
payment sub-accounts, from which the transaction is to be
accounted, by choosing the corresponding transaction code or
alternatively the payee's ID, assigned to the given type of
transaction.
The same payment sub-account is used by a number of different
payers within their payment accounts for accounting transactions
initiated by them.
Preferably, the payee's ID is a static ID, alternatively a
temporary ID or alternatively a local ID, whereas the static ID is
permanently assigned to the payee within the accounting system, the
temporary ID can be given on a temporary basis upon the payee's
request, for a specified time period or for the needs of a single
transaction, and the local ID is provided to the payee by the payer
in order to account transactions for a payee who is not defined in
the accounting system and the payee cannot be accessed by other
payers. At the same time, the specific transaction is explicitly
identified by the temporary ID which has been assigned especially
to this transaction.
The payee's ID is assigned to a specific offer of the payee,
through which the offer is explicitly identified.
With the method according to the invention, a transaction--as a
periodical transaction--alternatively lasts for the given period of
time, and the amount is calculated by the accounting system during
the session of a transaction initiated by the payer, automatically
for every accounting unit, delivered or defined by the payee,
initiation of transaction by the payer causing the beginning of
unit-charges being calculated, which constitute components of the
transaction amount, whereas conclusion and complete accounting of
the transaction is effected upon a request from the accounting
system, the payee or the payer, and upon conclusion of the
transaction acknowledgment of the payment is sent again to the
payee, and the payer receives acknowledgment of the transaction,
which include cumulative information concerning the whole
transaction and its conclusion, while unit-charges are preferably
accounted by the accounting system on-line or off-line.
Preferably, the amount is delivered to the accounting system in the
beginning of a periodical transaction, while such a transaction is
calculated up to the value of the given amount, after which it is
terminated by the accounting system.
With the method according to the invention, the transaction amount
is received from the payee upon a request from the accounting
system, which makes it possible to verify whether the amount
specified by the payer is correct on the basis of the transaction
amount, or to preferably exclude the necessity to quote the amount
when initiating a transaction by the payer, whereas concurrently
with the transaction amount, the payee sends preferably additional
information on the transaction to the accounting system.
Preferably, acknowledgment of the payment sent to the payee
includes additional information on the payer, which are not
directly related to transaction accounting.
A characteristic feature of the method of effecting electronic
transactions via phone is the fact that transactions are initiated
by establishing a connection from the payer's phone to the servers
of the accounting system, where the transaction parameters are
specified directly in the sequence dialed on the phone in the
course of the connection being initiated and are sent via a
telecommunication network to servers with the payer's ID from the
phone, whereas any missing parameters of the transaction are
preferably completed by the payer during the connection session,
and acknowledgment of the transaction to the phone is sent by the
accounting system alternatively after the connection has been
finished.
Preferably, in the case when the given transaction is effected in
the same telecommunication channel in which a connection between
the payee and the payer has already been established, the payer
does not need to establish a new connection to the accounting
system in order to have the transaction accounted, but the ongoing
connection is preferably redirected to the accounting system by the
payee, while the payee delivers to the accounting system at the
same all the transaction parameters which are known to him.
Preferably, a connection is established in a voice channel with
tone dialing DTMF or alternatively through a text message in a
signaling channel with the use of USSD in such a way that the user
initiates the connection directly from the keyboard of the phone,
dialing a sequence containing parameters of the transaction, where
each of the transaction parameters is preceded by a star symbol
"*", and in the case of a USSD sequence, it ends with a hash symbol
"#", preferably causing that placement of the hash symbol "#" at
the end of the sequence determines whether this would be a voice
transaction or a text transaction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing, where FIG. 1
shows the general method of accounting electronic transactions,
FIG. 2 shows the method of accounting electronic transactions with
the use of a static, a temporary and a local ID, FIG. 3 shows the
method of accounting periodical electronic transactions, and FIG. 4
shows the method of effecting electronic transaction via phone.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to the invention presented in FIG. 1, payer 1, owning an
account in the accounting system 3, initiates a payment from an
electronic terminal operated by this system. In order to account
the given transaction in a correct way, the accounting system 3 has
to receive all the indispensable information, including the
following: the transaction code A, the payee's ID C, the payer's ID
D and preferably the amount B.
The transaction code A allows for distinction of the type of
transaction effected, for example: payment transaction,
cancellation of a transaction, cash withdrawal, or alternatively
for selection of a group or a single sub-account 4' of the payment
account 4, with which the transaction shall be accounted, for
example: payment transaction from a business sub-account, cash
withdrawal from a group of private sub-accounts.
The amount B explicitly specifies the value of the transaction
accounted. Preferably, the amount B given by the payer 1 is
confronted with the transaction amount B' given by the payee 2 upon
a request P from the accounting system 3. Preferably, if the
transaction amount B' is at the disposal of accounting system 3,
there is no need to deliver the amount B, and the transaction is
accounted on the basis of the transaction amount B' given by the
payee 2.
The payee's ID C serves to identify the payee 2. Preferably, one
payee 2 owns a number of different payee's IDs C at the same time.
The payee's ID C plays the role of identification of a specific
payment place (e.g. a cash register), alternatively a specific
article/service (e.g. in the case of TV shopping in a TV
commercial), or alternatively a specific transaction (e.g. via
Internet). Preferably, the payee's ID C identifies also the
acceptable type of transaction with the given payee 2, due to which
only particular types of transactions can be effected for the
specific payee's ID C.
The unique payer's ID D explicitly identifies the payer 1 in the
whole accounting system 3. Within the accounting system 3
alternatively coexist several different types of payer's IDs D,
while the individual payer's IDs D do not duplicate and do not
overlap, and one payer 1 is alternatively identified by several IDs
of that kind, e.g. by customer number, telephone number.
In the accounting system 3, one payer 1 has only one payment
account 4 assigned, containing at least one or preferably a number
of payment sub-accounts 4', whereas the same payment sub-account 4'
is assigned freely even to several different payment sub-accounts
4. The payment sub-account 4' is integrated with the actual payment
account, e.g. a bank account, on which the payer 1 holds his
funds.
Having received the data needed for the transaction to be effected,
the accounting system 3 verifies whether the payer 1, who initiated
the transaction, is authorized to do it and whether the payer 1
possesses a suitable payment account 4, from which the transaction
can be accounted. If the payee 2 is permanently connected with the
accounting system 3, then the preferably is sent to the payee 2 a
request for the transaction amount B', which is compared to the
amount B or preferably the amount B is not required, as it is
collected by the accounting system 3 as the transaction amount B'
only from the payee 2.
After verification of the possibility to effect the transaction and
to access the amount B on the payment account 4, the accounting
system 3 sends to the payer 1 cumulative information on the
transaction E with a request to accept the transaction.
This information preferably contains additional data on the
transaction as well as on the payee 2, which allow for a full and
comprehensible description of the transaction. In order to confirm
correctness of the transaction, the payer 1 sends back the
transaction acceptance F, which preferably contains a user password
or a PIN code for acceptance of the transaction. After its receipt,
the accounting system 3 effects the transaction accounting G on the
payment account 4. Preferably, a single transaction is accounted
within one payment account 4 from a number of payment sub-accounts
4' at the same time, depending on their configuration and
respective availability of funds. In case of several payment
sub-accounts 4' possessed, they are preferably grouped. The payment
account for accounting a transaction is selected on the basis of an
analysis of the transaction code A or alternatively the payee's ID
C, effected by the accounting system 3.
After the transaction has been accounted on the payment account 4,
the accounting system 3 sends the acknowledgment of the payment H
to the payee 2 and acknowledgment of the transaction J to the payer
1. If the payee 2 is permanently connected with the accounting
system 3, then he preferably sends back additional information I
communicated to the payer 1 within the acknowledgment of the
transaction J.
FIG. 2 shows the payee's ID C, which enables the payer 1 to
explicitly identify the payee 2 and to effect a transaction for his
benefit. According to the standard procedure, the payee's ID C is
assigned by the accounting system 3 as a so-called static ID C',
i.e. a constant discriminant in the system, equally accessible for
all payers 1. Alternatively, the accounting system 3 provides the
payee 2 with a temporary ID C'', which is assigned on a temporary
basis, upon the payee's 2 request R, for the given time period or
for the needs of a specific transaction. After the specified
deadline, or after completion of the given transaction, the
temporary ID C'' is taken away from the payee 2 by the accounting
system 3 and is available for any payee 2. The same temporary ID
C'' of a payee 2 identifies any payees 2 at different intervals of
time, but only one payee can be identified with its use at the same
time.
Alternatively, the payer 1 independently provides the payee 2 with
a local ID C''', which allows the identification of the payee 2 to
be effected only and exclusively by this payer 1.
When defining a new payee 2 for own needs, the payer 1 has to enter
all necessary data which allow the transaction to be fully
accounted by the accounting system 3. The same local ID C''' is at
the same time interval preferably assigned to various payees 2, but
each of them is available for use only for the specific payer 1 who
provided the given definition.
In the case when periodical fees are charged, which is shown in
FIG. 3, initiating a transaction by the payer 1 results in the
beginning of charges being calculated, which are preferably
accounted on a current basis G, whereas the full transaction
accounting is effected after its completion: upon a request from
the payer 1--if the payer does not wish to use the service any
longer, from the payee 2--when he has already ceased provision of
the service or explicitly stated that the given user has ceased to
use it, or from the accounting system 3--when a failure or error
occurred, or when the funds on the payer's 1 account have been used
up. The amount B is not delivered to the accounting system 3 at
initiation of the transaction, but is calculated by the accounting
system 3 during the transaction session, automatically for every
accounting unit Q, delivered or defined by the payee 2.
Preferably during the session of a periodical transaction,
transaction accounting G for every accounting unit Q is effected on
a current basis by the accounting system 3 from the payment account
4, on which the availability of funds needed for the transaction to
be continued is checked at the same time. Alternatively, during
initiation of a periodical transaction, the amount B is delivered
to the accounting system 3, which causes that such a transaction is
calculated up to a value equal to the amount B and cannot exceed
it. Upon an attempt to exceed the amount B by a transaction, the
transaction is automatically terminated by the accounting system 3.
Both according to the standard procedure after the beginning of the
transaction, and also additionally after its completion, the payee
2 receives the payment acknowledgment H, and the payer 1--the
transaction acknowledgment J.
The method of effecting electronic transaction with use of a phone,
presented in FIG. 4, is based on the fact that in order to effect a
transaction, the payer 1 uses a phone 5, from which he initiates a
telecommunication connection by dialing the sequence S on the
keyboard of the phone 5. Initiation of a telecommunication
connection means initiation of a transaction at the same time,
because the dialing sequence S includes transaction parameters.
Those parameters, together with the payer's ID D for the phone 5,
via the telecommunication network 7 reach servers 6 of the
accounting system 3, which will identify the transaction parties
and effect accounting of the transaction, basing on the information
received. In the case it should be necessary for the payer 1 to
specify additional parameters of the transaction, to correct or to
complete them, he will preferably perform these activities during
the session of the telecommunication connection. Acknowledgment of
the transaction is preferably sent to the phone 5 already after the
connection has been finished, e.g. via SMS or fax, due to which the
payer 1 receives non-transitory acknowledgment of the
transaction.
Preferably, the telecommunication connection is established in a
voice channel, as a voice transaction, or alternatively as a text
transaction in a signaling channel with the use of USSD. Then, the
sequence S, dialed on the phone 5 in the course of initiation of
the connection, contains the necessary parameters of the
transaction, where each parameter is preceded by a star symbol "*",
and in the case of a USSD sequence, it ends additionally with a
hash symbol "#". Both the sequences are identical, contain the same
information, and the hash symbol "#" at the end of the sequence
determines the choice of a voice transaction or a text transaction,
whereas during the whole session of connection both transactions
are similar--the only differing factor is the method of
communicating and transferring information to the user. The
functionality is identical in both cases. In the case when the
transaction is effected in a voice channel, the transaction
parameters are specified in the phone number dialed, or transmitted
via tone dialing DTMF. In the case of a text transaction with the
use of USSD, the transaction parameters are transmitted in the USSD
sequence, or afterwards during data exchange in a USSD session.
In the examples given below, mobile phones as the phone 5 serve as
payment terminals for effecting transactions, while the phone 5 can
alternatively be replaced by another electronic device
communicating with the accounting system 3. The transaction is
effected by using the sequence S from the phone 5 in the form of
USSD commands or tone dialing DTMF. The payer 1 is identified by
means of the payer's ID D, which is the MSISDN number of his mobile
phone. In all the examples, the payer 1 possesses a private payment
account at a bank within the payment account 4. The accounting
system 3 is equipped with appropriate servers 6, and connections
from the phone 5 are effected via the telecommunication network
7.
EXAMPLE 1
The payer 1 is going to pay for an article purchased in a store.
The payee 2 communicates his payee's ID C reading 123456 to the
payer 1. The payee 2 uses a mobile phone for transaction
authorization as well. The transaction code A in the case of
payment for goods is 145. The amount B is PLN 100. The payers 1
dials from his phone 5 the sequence S USSD *145*123456*100# or
*145*123456*100, if the transaction will be effected in a voice
channel. These data, in connection with the MSISDN number of his
mobile phone serving as the payer's ID D, are transferred from the
data communication system of the telecommunication operator to the
accounting system 3, which checks whether a payer 1 with this
number can be found in the system, whether a payee 2 with the given
payee's ID C 123456 exists and whether the selected type of
transaction (here: a payment) can be effected between them. The
accounting system 3 checks whether the payee 2 is permanently
connected and provides a possibility to collect the transaction
amount B'. If there is no such possibility, it is checked whether
the amount B has been specified by the payer 1. Basing on the data
received, the accounting system 3 checks, to which payment account
4 the payer 1 is assigned and whether the payer 1 holds adequate
funds. After verification of all data concerning the transaction,
the accounting system 3 sends to the payer 1 cumulative information
on the transaction E with additional information on the payee C as
well as on the transaction itself (name of the payee, description
of the transaction). The payer 1 accepts the transaction F by
entering his own PIN code. The accounting system 3 connects to the
payment account 4 and effects accounting of the transaction G for
the amount B, under consideration of potential commissions, after
which the system sends to the payee 2 acknowledgment of the payment
H in the form of a text message (SMS), containing among others the
transaction ID and information on the amount B. Acknowledgment of
the transaction J is received by the payer 1 as well, and, apart
from the transaction ID, it includes information on the amount B
and the payee 2.
EXAMPLE 2
Within the payment account 4, the payer 1 possesses two private
accounts at two different banks and a business account, from which
he effects payments for the company. The payer 1 holds PLN 50 on
each of the private accounts respectively, and PLN 10 on the
business account. The transaction code A for transactions effected
from a private account is 145, and for the business account--146.
The payer 1 is going to park his business car on a paid municipal
parking place and account this transaction from the business
account, as well as withdraw cash from the private account. On the
parking meter, being the property of payee 2, his payee's ID C is
displayed as 321321.
The payer 1 initiates a business transaction from his phone in the
form of a sequence S USSD: *146*321321#. This information is sent
together with the telephone number of the payer 1 to the accounting
system 3, which verifies the data received. On the basis of data
assigned to the payee's ID C, the accounting system 3 recognizes
that the thus identified payee 2 effects only periodical
transactions (parking), charged according to an outline defined by
the payee: PLN 0.1 for every parking minute.
The accounting system 3 sends to the payer 1 cumulative information
on the transaction E, concerning the beginning of calculation of
charges. The payer 1 accepts the transaction F, after which
collection of amounts for every parking minute in advance from his
business account on the payment account 4 is started. The payee 2
and the payer 1 receive respectively acknowledgments of the payment
H and acknowledgments of the transaction J. In the case when the
accounting system 3 receives from the payment account 4 information
stating insufficient funds, it terminates the transaction, sending
an appropriate acknowledgment of the payment H to the payee 2 and
acknowledgment of the transaction J to the payer 1, while it
additionally includes information on the cause for termination of
the transaction. In the meantime, the payer 1 wishes to withdraw in
a nearby store PLN 70 in cash from his private account. The store
possesses two payee's IDs C. The first one of them is assigned to
effecting payments for goods, and the other one--with the number
121323--makes effecting cash withdrawals possible. The payer 1
dials the following sequence from his mobile phone: *145*121323#.
The data entered, together with the telephone number of the payer
1, are sent to the accounting system 3, which verifies on the basis
of payee's ID C that the given transaction can apply only to cash
withdrawal, while the maximum acceptable amount of one withdrawal
at this payee 2 is PLN 100. Since the amount B has not been
specified, feedback information is sent to the payer 1 with a
request to specify the withdrawal amount B, which upon its receipt
is verified by the accounting system 3 against the funds available
on the payment account 4. Now that the amount B exceeds the funds
available within the first payment sub-account 4', the accounting
system 3 checks the subsequent payment sub-accounts 4' and confirms
that the total amount accumulated on both of them will suffice for
the transaction to be effected.
Cumulative information on the transaction E is sent to the payer 1
with a request to accept it, after which the payer 1 sends back the
PIN code as acknowledgment of the transaction F.
The accounting system 3 effects accounting of the transaction G
subsequently from both payment sub-accounts 4'. The payee 2
receives acknowledgment of the payment H, containing among others
information on the need to effect cash withdrawal for the benefit
of the payer 1, who receives acknowledgment of the transaction
J.
EXAMPLE 3
The payer 1 uses his mobile phone in a pre-paid system. He is going
to purchase at his telephone operator, acting as payee 2,
accounting units, which provide him with the possibility to use the
services offered by this operator. The transaction code A is 145.
The payee's ID C in case of the operator is 112233. The payer 1 has
two variants for the purchase of units: 1. to declare with the
sequence S USSD *145*112233*100# purchase of accounting units Q for
a value equivalent of PLN 100, or 2. to order with the sequence S
USSD *145*112233# current accounting of charges for the accounting
units Q used at the telephone operator within the accounting system
3.
The payee 2 with the selected payee's ID C provides only a
possibility to effect periodical settlements. After verification of
all data and upon sending acknowledgments, calculation of charges
is started. The payment is accounted on a current basis, according
to accounting units Q delivered by the payee 2, or the transaction
is terminated in case of insufficient funds available on the
payment account 4. In the case of the first variant being chosen,
the service is provided by the telephone operator up to the moment
when the accounting system finds the limit of PLN 100 entered by
the payer 1 as the amount B exceeded. With the second variant, the
transaction is not limited in time. In both cases, the transaction
can be terminated by the payer 1 upon sending the sequence S
*145*112233#, ending the transaction, by the accounting system 3,
if the system finds insufficient funds available on the payment
account 4 or by the payee 2, if the payee 2 should for any reason
cease provision of the service for the benefit of the payer 1.
EXAMPLE 4
The payer 1 is going to purchase articles in an Internet store.
Having chosen articles for the total amount of PLN 100, he selects
on the web page the method of payment via his mobile phone. The
transaction code A is 145. The payee 2, i.e. the Internet store,
sends to the accounting system 3 a request R for assignment of a
temporary ID C'' and receives it as 123123, after which the payee
displays on the web page a list of products purchased by the payer
1 with a request for him to dial on his mobile phone the sequence
S: *145*123123#. After the given sequence has been dialed, the data
delivered to the accounting system 3 are verified, and upon a
request P the transaction amount B' is collected from the payee 2.
In the course of the request P from the accounting system 3,
concerning the transaction amount B', it is certain that the payer
1 has already placed a transaction order, thus the web page of the
store is being automatically refreshed with the information that
the transaction is in process, and upon receiving acknowledgment of
the payment H, the web page has the status of a transaction
effected displayed. When effecting the transaction, the payer 1
does not need to fill in any boxes on the web page or to click on
any elements. After completion of the transaction, the dynamic ID
C'' assigned to the payee 2 is released and can be at any time
assigned by the accounting system 3 to any other payee 2 who sends
an appropriate request P.
EXAMPLE 5
The payer 1 would like to buy a beverage in a classic coin machine
connected to a telecommunication network. The payee 2, acting as
the owner of the machine, placed on it a static ID C' saying
323232. The transaction code A is 145. The payer 1 dials on his
mobile phone a sequence S USSD of: *145*323232#. The data, together
with the MSISDN number as the payer's ID D, are sent to the
accounting system 3, which--noticing that the payer 1 has not
specified the amount B--requests the payee 2 to specify the
transaction amount B', related to the given machine. The payee 2
has the possibility to freely specify the amount for the given
machine, which makes it possible for him to take advantage of
various special price offers. Having received the transaction
amount B', the accounting system 3 sends to the payer 1 a
cumulative specification of the transaction E, after which the
system receives from the payer 1 acknowledgment of the transaction
F. After accounting of the transaction G on the payment account 4,
the payee 2 receives acknowledgment of the payment H, which allows
the machine to release the beverage chosen by the payer 1.
EXAMPLE 6
The payer 1 takes advantage of a web banking offer provided by the
bank operating the payment account 4 and co-operating with the
accounting system 3. Within this service, the payer 1 has model
transfers defined for selected payees 2 who are not identified by
the accounting system 3 within the standard procedure. The payer 1
introduces to the accounting system 3 selected payees 2 for his own
needs, providing them with local IDs C''' within the range assigned
by the accounting system 3.
After each transaction initiation effected by the payer 1, the
accounting system 3 collects from the bank operating the payment
account 4 a full set of data (model transfer), identified by the
local ID C''' used for this transaction. On the basis of data
collected, the accounting system 3 issues a classic transfer order,
taking into account the amount B specified by the payer 1. If the
amount B has not been specified, the value defined in the model
transfer is assumed.
EXAMPLE 7
The payer 1, using his mobile phone, is going to transfer his money
to another mobile phone user with the phone number MSISDN
601234567, within the network of the operator the accounting system
3 has signed an agreement with. The recipient of the payment is at
this point seen as an external payee 2, whereas his payee's ID C
does not originate from the standard 6-digit-numbering range, but
is perceived as a unique 9-digit phone number (MSISDN). The
transaction code A is 145. The payer 1 dials on his phone a
transaction sequence S in the form of USSD codes
*145*601234567*100# or in the case of a voice connection, the
sequence *145*601234567*100, which orders transferring the amount B
of PLN 100 to the payee 2. The accounting system 3, when accounting
a transaction ordered, checks whether the payee 2 holds his own
payment account 4 within the accounting system 3. If the accounting
system is able to identify the payment account 4 assigned to the
MSISDN phone number specified as the payee's ID C, then the
specified amount B will be transferred to the payment sub-account
4' within the payment account 4; otherwise, the amount B will be
transferred to the account of the payee 2 held at his respective
telecommunication operator, on account of charges due for services
provided by this operator for the benefit of the payer 1.
EXAMPLE 8
The payee 2 sells a product by means of a TV commercial. The
advertised product has the payee's ID C with the value 432432
assigned. The transaction code A is 145. When watching the product
commercial, the payer 1 chooses to purchase it and dials from his
mobile phone a sequence S USSD of *145*432432# or calls the number
*145*432432. The data entered, together with the payer's ID D,
being the MSISDN number, reach the accounting system 3, which
requests P the payee 2 to specify the transaction amount B',
constituting the value of the transaction. Subsequently, the
transaction is accounted according to the standard procedure,
whereas acknowledgment of the payment H sent to the payee 2
includes additional information on the payer 1, among others the
delivery address and data needed for the invoice. If the payer 1
holds a business account within the payment account 4 as well, then
by dialing the transaction code A as 146 in the transaction
sequence, he declares its accounting from the business account, and
the invoice data apply to his company.
EXAMPLE 9
The payer 1 calls the information number of an airline company with
the aim to book a private plane ticket. He settles all flight
parameters (date, time, and price), and declares intention to buy a
ticket, paying for it via phone from his private account. The
service operator, as the payee 2, sends to the accounting system 3
a request R for a temporary ID C'', which will be assigned to this
transaction. The value of the assigned temporary ID C'' is 654654,
the transaction amount B equals PLN 100, and the transaction code A
is 145. The connection from the payer 1 is redirected by the
service operator to the number *145*654654*100, being the sequence
S, with which the accounting system 3 effects accounting of the
transaction in a voice channel.
Applications in Industry
Implementation of the invention allows for effecting a universal
accounting system, which makes it possible to account any type of
electronic transactions in a simple way. The assumption that the
payment's initiation is always initiated by the user ensures a high
level of safety and control over expenditures. The invention also
allows for effecting practically all types of payments with the
same pattern, which greatly simplifies the system handling and
adapting for any type of payments, e.g. Internet payments, TV
shopping, payments for invoices, payments in stores, parking
charges. The invention allows for accounting of the same
transaction from several payment accounts at the same time, or for
choosing a specific account or a group of accounts, from which the
transaction will be accounted, e.g. accounting of transactions from
the private or from the business account. The invention also allows
for effecting periodical payments, where the article or the service
is not delivered once, but within a certain time period, during
which charges are calculated.
Identification of a number of payment accounts with one universal
ID provides a significant increase of comfort with electronic
payments, as the payer does not need to use e.g. IDs dedicated for
the given account (e.g. payment cards). The invention is especially
suitable for effecting the accounting system with the use of mobile
phones, which makes it possible to use them in totally new
applications. Implementation of a universal system for electronic
payments has a favorable influence on the payment market, which is
dominated by the outdated payment card technology. It also spurs
emergence of new services and activity areas, in which the basic
problem up to now has been collection of payments (e.g. coin
machines without telecommunication interfaces). The invention has
also a direct influence on the development of the banking sector,
providing it with entirely new tools and possibilities.
Application of mobile phones for effecting electronic transactions,
which in particular concerns the USSD and voice channels with tone
dialing DTMF, makes it significantly easier to introduce electronic
transactions to the market and enhances the possibilities of the
whole system. Application of several complementary
telecommunication channels (voice and text channels) improves the
quality of the service, increases its reliability, and provides
users with a possibility to match the method of effecting a
transaction with their own liking. A method of effecting
transactions in two independent channels which does not depend on
the type of transaction, is simple, intuitive and uniform, makes it
simple for such a solution to approach users--especially users in
lesser command of new technologies.
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